Recently I wrote a blog post about a story in Matthew chapter 8 that was titled, “Why are you so afraid?” The disciples were caught in a furious storm that threatened to break up their little boat. Jesus asked them what would have felt like an offensive question by asking them, “Why are you so afraid?” The disciples had every reason in the world to be afraid except for one thing. They had the Son of God in the boat and they didn’t realize that the wind and the waves reported to him.

There is one more observation that I’d like to pull out of that story that I think is noteworthy. The boat got there. We don’t know how long it took them to get from one side of the lake to the other but we do know that the boat got there. One thing that I know about you is that you are either in a storm, coming out of a storm or about to go into a storm. You are on the lake with the disciples. I also know that you are tempted to be afraid because the storms threaten to swallow us alive. The encouragement that I want to bring to you today is that if Jesus is in the boat with you, the boat will get there. I don’t know where “there” is for you but I know that the boat will get there. Right after Jesus calmed the storm the disciples asked, ““What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” Have you asked that question before in reference to the storm you’re in? What kind of man is this? Perhaps the reason that you are still afraid is that you don’t know what kind of man is in the boat with you. Perhaps you didn’t realize that the wind and the waves of the storm you’re in report to Jesus.

I know that many of us would prefer to be delivered from storms but it seems that it’s God’s preference to deliver us through them so that we can know what kind of man this is. The boat got there. I don’t know where you’re there is and I don’t know how long it’s going to take you to get there. I know that there will be storms but I can tell you with confidence that the boat will get there if Jesus is in it. I suppose that based on the story, my only encouragement to you would be to not jump out of the boat. Don’t quit. The temptation is probably there for you to bail but don’t do it. Find your encouragement in the one who is in the boat with you and perhaps you can begin to find peace in the storm. You know, Jesus was sleeping on the boat during the furious storm before the disciples woke him up to express how scared they were. Maybe we can learn a lesson from this. As we get to know Jesus more and more perhaps we too can learn to relax within the context of our storms as we put our trust in him.